This course is open to other clubs, please contact Sensei Davis directly on at martin_d10@hotmail.com if you wish to come along, or purchase a set of Sai for the course.

The Sai is a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon. The basic form of the weapon is that of a pointed, dagger-shaped metalbaton, with two curved prongs called yoku projecting from the handle. It is generally used in pairs. There are many types of sai with varying prongs for trapping and blocking.

Before its arrival on Okinawa, the sai was already being used in several other Asian countries including India, Thailand, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The Indonesian form of the sai is called chabang or tjabang, which is used in the Indonesian fighting art known as pentjak-silat.Early evidence from Java in the form of art work is said to show that thechabang predates the sai’s use in Okinawa and China. The chabang is said to have been developed from the trisula. The word trisula itself can refer to both a long or short-handled trident. Because the trisula was created in South Asia, another theory is that the sai originated in India and spread along with Hinduism and Buddhism. This is supported by the fact that the trisula is important as a Hindu-Buddhist symbol.

In Okinawa the sai was used by domestic police (ufuchiku) to arrest criminals and for crowd control, the use of the sai was perfected in 1668 by Moto Chohei an Okinawan prince. The sai eventually reached Japan in the form of the jutte (jitte), which usually has only a single prong although some jutte have two prongs like a sai. Both are truncheon-like weapons, used for striking and bludgeoning.

The following is a great video showing a great performance of a Sai Kata

Here’s a couple of videos of Sensei Chan demonstrating Tokumine No Kun and Tokumine No Kun -Sho at a previous Bo course in Kirkintilloch.